Introduction: The influence of long-term muscle overload on force regulation and electrical properties of motor units (MUs) was investigated in rats.
Methods: Compensatory overload of the medial gastrocnemius was induced by tenotomy of its synergists. Electrophysiological experiments were performed on functionally isolated MUs 3 months after the surgery.
Results: Force-frequency curves for overloaded MUs were shifted rightward compared with control, thus MUs developed the same relative tetanic forces at higher frequencies. Higher force increase was achieved in response to an increase in stimulation frequency in overloaded fast MUs compared with control. The optimal tetanic contraction, characterized by the highest force-time area per pulse, was evoked at higher stimulation frequencies for all overloaded MUs except FF. Only minor adaptive changes in MU action potentials occurred.
Conclusions: Compensatory muscle overload leads to substantial modifications in MU force development mechanisms, which are MU-type-specific and influence whole muscle force regulation.
Keywords: MUAP; motor unit; optimal tetanus; overload; rate coding.
© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.